EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Baseball Team (1-4) picked up its first win of the season on Friday afternoon, defeating Western Connecticut State University (0-1) by a 12-10 score at Porterfield/Devault Field. The start of the contest was delayed for nearly an hour and a half due to rainy conditions in Southwest Virginia.
The Colonials got on the board with two runs in the top of the first. A two-out walk put a runner on first and Conor Bierfeldt blasted a home run to left for the score.
E&H responded immediately with a run of its own in the bottom half of the inning. As the leadoff batter, junior centerfielder Eric Houff (Blacksburg, Va.) took a 2-0 pitch and ripped a line drive to left field to close the gap to 2-1.
The Wasps got four runs in the second frame. With one run in and two on base, senior second baseman Josh McMillian (Amelia, Va.) hit a towering shot over the left field fence, driving in three, as E&H took a 5-2 lead.
Emory & Henry added another four runs in the bottom of the third. A two-run double by senior third baseman Will Schulhof (Berryville, Va.) scored two, to highlight the frame for the Wasps, who pushed their lead to 9-2.
The Colonials added a run in the top of the fourth. Zack Dandrea took a 1-1 pitch and went the other way with it, as the line drive cleared the fence in right centerfield.
In the fifth inning, E&H plated two more runs on four hits to make the score 11-2. With a runner on third and one out, Houff doubled down the left field line. Houff stole third with two outs, and sophomore designated hitter Bransen Christopher (Hickory, N.C.) hit a single to left, scoring Houff.
Western Connecticut State got back into the game with six runs in the top of the sixth, closing the gap to 11-9. A leadoff home run by Dandrea set the tone and a single up the middle by Chris Alberto scored two runs. Two errors by the Wasps in the frame aided the Colonials, who had five hits of their own.
Emory & Henry was able to put another run on the board in the bottom of the frame. With a two outs and a runner on third, Houff hit a timely single to the left side, plating the run to give the Wasps a 12-9 advantage.
The Colonials added one final run in the top of the seventh inning. After a leadoff double by Kyle Savo, Two batters later, Alberto reached on an error by the shortstop, and Savo came around from second to score.
At the completion of the seventh inning, the contest was called due to darkness, with E&H coming away with the 12-10 victory.
Emory & Henry senior Zach Jones (Fries, Va.) picked up the win on the mound in his first outing of the season. Jones went six innings, allowing five earned runs on nine hits in 119 pitches. Junior Will Dingus (Powhatan, Va.) was credited with the save.
At the plate, senior left fielder Remington Hedgepeth (Winston-Salem, N.C.) went four-for-five with three doubles while Houff was three-for-four with four RBI and just a triple short of batting for the cycle.
Western Connecticut State's C.J. Sousa fell to 0-1 with the loss, giving up seven runs on seven hits in two innings of work. Savo finished the game three-for-four for the Colonials. Bierfeldt was two-for-four with three RBI and Dandrea went two-for-four, driving in two.
Emory & Henry and Western Connecticut State are scheduled to take the field for a doubleheader on Saturday at noon.
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